CLOSUP publications

This report presents the views of people living within the Great Lakes Basin regarding hydraulic fracturing and shale gas drilling. Hydraulic fracturing, the injection of a fluid after drilling to crack open shale rock to release oil or gas, has...

In one of the most striking developments in recent years, the fracturing of shale deposits has transformed the U.S. energy economy by sharply increasing the supply of natural gas and lowering its cost. Shale fracturing, or fracking, also poses...

The first decade of the 2000s was a period of active and largely unanticipated state engagement in the development of policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This triggered substantial social science literature that explored the drivers behind...

Natural gas extraction through high-volume hydraulic fracturing, often used with horizontal drilling (“fracking”), increased by 24 percent from 2006 to 2011, and is projected to grow unabated. One of the most promising sources of natural gas is the...

This report presents findings drawn from an April 2013 telephone survey conducted by the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion (Muhlenberg Institute), in collaboration with the University of Michigan Center for Local, State, and Urban...

This report presents the views of Michigan and Pennsylvania citizens on issues related to the extraction of natural gas through hydraulic fracturing (commonly known as “fracking”). The findings are drawn from an October and November 2012 telephone...

This report presents the views of American citizens on the existence of global warming, including their reasons for belief or disbelief, with particular attention on the role played by recent notable weather and climate events, including severe...

This report presents the views of American citizens on a range of issues linked to the possible development of federal and state policies intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This report responds to the evolving American debate over...

Analysis of wind resources suggests that the proposed expansion of Michigan's renewable portfolio standard to require that 25\% of the state's electricity sales derive from renewables (Proposal 3 on the 2012 ballot) can be met by its 2025 target...

This report presents the views of Pennsylvania citizens on a range of issues related to extraction of natural gas through "fracking" procedures. The report responds to a discovery of potentially massive deposits beneath the Marcellus Shale and a...

The Fall 2010 MPPS asked Michigan's local government leaders about their views on global warming and environmental sustainability, and the role of local government in these areas. While Michigan's local leaders are divided in their views about the...

The following report summarizes results drawn from  national level surveys in the United States and Canada that examine public perceptions regarding various aspects of climate change. Since 2008, the National Survey of American Public Opinion on...

Policymakers are increasingly relying on emissions trading programs to address environmental problems caused by air pollution. If polluting firms in an emissions trading program face different economic regulations and investment incentives in their...

For political, jurisdictional and technical reasons, environmental regulation of industrial pollution is often incomplete: regulations apply to only a subset of facilities contributing to a pollution problem. Policymakers are increasingly concerned...

This study seeks to provide detailed data on the perspectives of Michiganians regarding global warming and various policy options available to reduce human impacts on the earth’s...